Charter

Nowadays, the level of Japanese scientific technology has caught up with that of advanced countries in Europe and the USA. However, we believe this opinion is based only on a superficial or partial view and the actual situation is far from an international level in a true sense. There are few scientific inventions and discoveries unique in Japan and the industrial world is paying a large amount of technology licensing fees to advanced countries in Europe and the USA. On the other hand, Japan receives only a fraction of licensing fee. This proves that the above statement is true. Even though the history of Japanese modern science is short compared with that of Europe and the USA, more than 100 years have passed since Meiji Restoration, and it is strongly pointed out that unique inventions and discoveries originated in Japan are poor and shallow in view of scientific research and the industrial world where they are used. Japanese academic community and industrial world have adopted overseas research results as they are and put them to practice use, which is our specialty, but have thought light of the basic research itself. It is not too much to say that such blind spot has created this problem.

Furthermore, it is a problem that a large amount of finance is invested on applied research, but a very small amount on basic research. Taking medical products for example, majority of medical products were studied and developed by European and US researchers, while very few of them were researched by Japanese investigators. Recently Japanese products have been exported overseas one after another, but only Japanese pharmaceutical products have shown poor results and there are hardly any items worth paying attention to. One of the reasons for this is because of not putting too much weight in basic research. This applies not only to medical products but also to every field of natural science on prevention and treatment of human diseases. Therefore, the basic research on these fields is strongly requested for.

Japan is now wide open to the world both in capital and trade, so the development of the basic research in natural science is strongly hoped for in the first place to advance and improve Japanese scientific and technological level that can be competitive with these advanced European and US countries. But those who are engaged in the basic research have been suffering from shortage of research fund to carry out their studies. Without promoting the basic research of natural science, it is just like crying for the moon. This is the reason why a large amount of research fund is longed for.

Considering these situations, we believe that we can contribute to Japanese science and technology to attain international level in true sense through showing a great interest in offering research grants and willingly providing fund, regardless of governmental or individual source, to researches of natural science, especially on prevention and treatment of human diseases.

Incidentally, Mr. Toyoji Naito, the founder of Eisai Co., Ltd., offered 500,000 shares of stock he possessed to be used for fostering the research of natural science on prevention and treatment of human diseases. Mr. Naito worked hard and made an effort, after leaving a junior high school without a diploma, and was engaged in a pharmaceutical business for fifty some years. He founded Sakuragaoka Research Laboratory, Nihon Eisai Co., Ltd. and Eisai Co., Ltd. where he made a great result to promote health of human beings through pharmaceutical products by synthesizing vitamin C for the first time in Japan, putting vitamin A, D and E into commercial use, promoting research and development of Japanese medical products and fostering and popularizing them. He has been complaining about the current situations of the industry where they copy and mimic foreign products day and night. Recently he proposed to offer a part of his personal assets to widely promote and foster natural science.

Furthermore, Eisai Co., Ltd. made a proposal of offering 100 million yen, a part of its profit, for contributing to the promotion of science as a corporate social responsibility to commemorate 25th anniversary of the company.

Therefore, The Naito Foundation, a judicial foundation, is to be established to encourage natural science researches for preventing and treating human diseases and for contributing to the promotion of science and the welfare of human beings. It would be our utmost and great pleasure for the promoters if activities of this foundation can be of help to the work of these researchers.

• February 26, 1969

• Founding promoters:

  Tomosaburo Ogata, Choei Isihbashi, Seishi Takagi, Takajiro Mori,
  Toyoji Naito, Yuji Naito, Hiroshi Tanabe

• Founding date:

  April 7, 1969

• Governing office:

  Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology